The Netherlands lies in the west Europe. It borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and the North Sea to the north and west. Except for the range of dunes extending along the coast of the Netherlands, almost the whole territory of the country was formed by a man. For ages the Dutch have constantly struggled to keep their land dry. Almost a quarter of the Netherlands surface is situated below the sea level (approximately 5 meters below sea level ). There are areas lying so low that they surely would have been flooded if there had not been any dams or irrigation canals. They have been built to reclaim land from the sea and keep the existing land dry.

The Netherlands occupies an area of 41, 160 square kilometers . It's the most densely populated area in Europe (about 477 men live on one square kilometer).
As the Dutch seashore stretches for 451 km Holland is a paradise for people loving water sports.

The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. The Queen Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard van Oranje-Nassau) is the head of the state. The Royal family comes from the French town called Orange. That's why orange is not only Dutch favourite colour but also one of their symbols.
The overseas territories like Netherlands Antilles and Aruba belong to the Netherlands.